Autumn bits and bobs

[Geoff]

Dry and a little brightness this morning after a truly awful day yesterday - even Morecambe had 1.49" and they are usually a lot drier than us. I'll go for a squelch round see if there is anything I can do, probably more potting on of the summer shrub and flower cuttings.

[snooky]

Pleased today to find a Slow-worm,a toad and a couple of frogs settled underneath a plastic sheet which my sister had used to cover a section of her plot.Pleased because it has been a while since I've seen any of these creatures,especially the Slow-worm.I've not seen any on our plots for over five years.Plenty of slugs under the plastic too,a good place to eat!

Also pleased to see a flock of about twenty Greenfinches eating the Sunflower seeds which have ripened.Again not been seen for many a year.

[alan refail]

A bit of a chilly one out there this morning! Down to 5.5C.
I feel frost on the horizon.

[peter]

Vile driving weather Tuesday night down the M4 for son's Wednesday visit to Bristol University. Heavy rain, standing water, spray and stuck behind a "28mph unless someone's coming the other way then its 20mph" person on the A road down to Bath for five miles with a tail behind us to the limit of visibility, god bless two lane entry roundabouts.
Much nicer yesterday and this morning a beautiful Autumn day in prospect.

[Nature's Babe]

The nights are colder, but when the sun cones out it's still quite warm, the outside grapes are almost ripe so hoping warm days continue.

[Monika]

We've lifted the last potatoes (Blue Danube) and they are now washed, dried and safely tucked up in flat boxes under layers of newspaper. Overall, this year's potato crop is mixed: the yield isn't great, presumably because of the dry weather early in the year, but the main crop varieties we grew (Blue Danube, Sarpo Mira, Cara) have quite a lot of slug damage, so they will need watching in store. I think we'll have enough to see us through until Easter.

Lovely day again today, even a few late butterflies about - small tortoiseshell, peacock. Strangely, the michaelmas daisies are only just starting to flower. So, I hope we will have another good spell of weather to attract the butterflies to them.

[John]

Hello Monika
Did you say that you washed your potatoes before storing them? OMG, I so can't believe you just said that! I had always thought that this was a big No No and that the washed potatoes wouldn't store well.
Does it work?
Grey day here but it did turn blue late in the afternoon.
John

[oldherbaceous]

I'm certainly enjoying this glorious Indian Autumn, all in all, it's rather pleasant.

[donedigging]

I must agree with you OH,

The warmth from the late summers sun is most agreeable to my old bones

[alan refail]

I must agree with you OH,

The warmth from the late summers sun is most agreeable to my old bones

Which is more than you can say about the rain we're getting:(

[Nature's Babe]

The forecast says getting warmer too OH , we'll be shedding clothes while the trees shed their leaves.
It goes with the territory Alan, at least you have plenty of water.

[oldherbaceous]

Oh dear, more sunshine today i suppose.

[Parsons Jack]

Not a cloud in the sky this morning. Another hot morning on the plot in prospect

[John]

Pouring with rain here since about 9, PJ.
No hope of escaping down to the garden this morning so DW has tasked me on to Sunday lunch duties.

John

[Geoff]

Picked my Discovery apples yesterday and found this tribute to workmanship of wasps.